Joey Beltran Breaks Down Upcoming Battle in Brazil

How big is Beltran's itch to fight?

“The only way I feel the most alive, the most at home and safe – as weird as that may sound – the world makes sense when I’m in there fighting. I haven’t had that for a long time, and I’m stumbling over my words right now because that’s how excited I am to go in there and fight. I’ve never been so excited to get punched in the face.”

Beltran has never felt better entering a fight than he does now:

“I really feel like I’m in a good place. I’m in the same place that I was mentally the last time I stepped into the Octagon – I’m really excited, really happy, and I just want to go out there and show what I’ve got. I’ve been working hard these last nine months. I kicked the can around – I was pretty depressed for 10 days or so after the result came out – and then after that I was like, `It’s time to go to work.'"

Beltran believes suspension was a blessing in disguise:

“I still to this day stand by my statement when I said that I did not inject nandrolone into my body. Obviously, something bad went into my body, so I have to take responsibility. I don’t know what it was, but what I decided to do after about two days of going crazy is just take it like a man, move on, serve my suspension, turn all these lemons into lemonade, and get better. I had nine months to get better. It’s the longest layoff I’ve had in my career, and it was really a blessing in disguise. I got to re-connect with my family, be there for my teammates as more of a teammate and a brother. I just really focused on my life – outside of fighting also. You’re forced to look at things from a different perspective.”

What are Beltran's thoughts on Maldonado?

Fortunately, I got a good opponent. Unfortunately, he seems like a nice dude and a cool guy. He’s probably my type of guy. Fabio Maldonado seems like the type of guy you want on your side. If you’re going to get in a street fight, you probably want somebody like that having your back, but we’ve got to do the do on October 9.”

Beltran offers a shocking prediction:

“Honestly, I think I’m going to get a submission. I’m thinking I will stop him in the third round – the middle of the third round. I’ve been working really hard on that with my coach, Jimmy Harbison. A couple months ago, I was promoted to my purple belt after a lot of years. (Laughs) I put on the gi and worked my way into that promotion, and I wouldn’t doubt it. It would not surprise me if I went out there and surprised some people, got a submission in the third round… after, of course, a crazy, brutal, knockdown, drag out fight.”

UFC light heavyweight Joey Beltran cemented himself as a fan favorite long ago due to his love a good brawl. However, he hasn’t been seen in the Octagon since last December. Rather than an injury keeping Beltran out, “The Mexicutioner” was suspended nine months for PED use. The heavy-handed 31-year old is set to shake off the ring rust and get his hands dirty next week when he faces Fabio Maldonado at UFC Fight Night 29. Beltran recently spoke to UFC.com about how he spent his time on the sidelines and his appreciation for Maldonado as a competitor while also offering a bold prediction on their upcoming clash. (Photos by USA Today Sports Images)